New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-14
TIE CONTROL or The SUBWAYs.
A TALK WITH COMMISSIONER HESS.
BILLS BEFORE THR LEGISLATURE - "hAi nm,
PRESET COMMISSION HAS DONE.


pREsEyT COMMISSION HAS DONE
Thu ouestion az to whether the subway Ooi'u
soners or the city shall bury the wires VIII pro'a'
he settled by the Legislature this weeh- All io"
hills relating TO the subject have peeh po, -
Assembly and Senate Committees on Ciurs io' -
time They have been examined by pom 80 n1
at considerable length. Commissioners lies 'n,'
Gibbons and Assistant Corporation Counsei Soo'' n,
discussed theIn of them at least d.
Assembly committee and will do 70 again tohoIio"
in the presence Of the Senators having ch'"e tn
matter Strictly speaking there arc Only ."o
recurring consideration. that proposed oy 'no ooA
p,lssion and the one introduced at the instance "
.ho city authorities The latter provides that the
city shall build the subways and this Ia the oaru
teatnro NJ the other two. Hence these nave oo
supersedcd by the city bill. or. IA IL 10 my 80.
monty designated Mayor Hcwius Dill 80
altogether lust to speak OF the measure III ''- -,
The Mayor 1t IA true. like overy Thoroughly Pa" ,n
Dmocrat favors It. but, az IL now gehoraiy -,
the real author Of tho project IL President boeh'
ia devisod It and II 1t becomes n law the croo' W"
he principally duo to him Mono OF tho o' -
oeicaIs so far as can be learned. carr muo" a.ou
controller Loew remarked the other DAY j" ..a
IN tho matter that he had enough Du'ih"ss W -
70 without tho subways. and this sentineh. mas A.,
exnressed by tho heads OF other departments WI
Reekman however, IL an active county Do
man He was tho acting Mayor for TWO "o".
pis ambition has been fired by this exper1"oo n.N a.
ur,sent he is looking around for means W si'."'
To obtain control OF the subways Is IL 10 '
mart ~ his plans which include new Guy o"e
ropav,ne the streets and all sorts OF hugo uhuoi'ih
ings whether he will succeed IN tho ros' " IN,
remains to be seen. but at present MS suD"',
h.,gs 6ro nj Albany The arguments advanced III ~.
tavor bave not met with such favor As nc oNPoe'o+
MANY objections have been made 70 IT, sonnc vi W."
were stated by President Hess. OF tho Conin"'
aNo., said tho Commissioners in reply TO an IN
.hakt hA
MI Beclman's bill To speak frankly uo Nv
think that Legislature desiring to further tho pun
rc interrsts OF this city. the present body
does will give a work now being successfully o'
on ut private expense, 30 to speak, osor "
Public Works Department. thereby ehtinihe " A
dan Of from S5 900 600 n $15 .OOO,OOo upon ING -
oavers OF New-york merely for tho sake OF ihoIcas
inc tho patronage OF the party now Dominant III
nunicipal politics That Ia tho whole buSihess 'h :"
nutshell / do not think any one VIII uhoor''ho "
deny It. What docs this bill prOpoSoi iha' 'n
Hoard OF Estimate and Apportionment ana tho : Nv
bc Works Commissioner shall assume cohuoi VI Wv
electrical wires build subways by contract Tor 'ne
with money raised by the Of four per cent bohas
running from ton to thirty years The city Is "
own and rent them TO tho companies AZ Sut The CITY
as II may deem proper no" ,S SiS csaV ts asked
70 90 to such enormous expense a' iii
work certainly involves when ~ can Not only this.
int IL Is now actually being accomplished III =uu a
manner viii speedily make tno suDT' GSrT,ng the
OF revenue 10 the city. The WORN VI p ISiinod Ia
wires first offered to tho CITY Du. ~ @pped
undertake the }S6 Id hsH s9 SGScoSS in eenS
The work started In manner satisfactory u w
eiocu nrs a Win! to be JUDGED by record
No have carried things on business prlhhcp com-
Ino 0h" ,s WctcTn Union would control the sub
Hays was touched upon. 81 am glad you oio.toS
tnr soino time by tho-o who should know better
The fact is that thr only control TIC only looio'33
yhcn il expires by the city No COMPANY can over
obtain control unless the Sol.,,''1h ohrSld. tho
cou,luts 20 long they are built ana conuV,ou o.,
tho law directs. 1t j. certainly mo uo o,t ir the
Construction OF them They have 20 uso them h2l W.
public as In tho Of tho sc"cr% IL they sng ~
would not approve then how are YOU going 70 set
v irrs down. You can't compel telcHranh conpaaS
The terms of our contract with the construction COM
pany compel 1t build subways Tat WI Sas,s5 49,, ''
he conditions demanded by "a. electrical cOnpih'os
II l. bonded 20 tho OF half million 10 perform
tho work properly. and thu, lar II haS si H0no
have givon entire satisfaction aud wiz soon Soal,,
about 200 miles OF tho Me'pC o ni.r1s,ipd In
our there would not have esen emS Sy july
western Union standing on H.. ~ Tho work ha.
len conducted Tho construction company proVh,es
,bc capital and docs the work. IL owns but tho
Cn,nII.ion controls The subvays We ia the rentals
Tho company J. allowed 10 per cen, az ~ go ,.ccn
tho city tho clcctrcs cOmpanns n-lng VIZ oo''" ,
and tho construction COMPANY. II any ono can -us
gcst q moro practical method Of performing ,hs
work should llko 10 hear from him. Ccrtalrv 10. ~.
city authorities have not Ear as the blii slV'o W.
Isgsiamro represents their efforts Just think "1a.
! a nautical lob this would become " unfertihon ps
tho CITY In saving this do not mean TO reflect upo
any Of our public officials ! am simply st3t!nS ,'. ~
fnnIlar 10 everybody that no work can hc uohe 80
| chrapy and successfully by public a by prIVa."
c,rnnra,ions To civo YOU idea "a 70 now VI,
| suhwavs "a now being built VIII Affect the cry,
might mention this Illustration IL costs ao .,
| 40 600 a wear nov t0 maintain tho wires o' INC
! lirc Department overhead-a sum when WIZ "
| elr,ost entirely saved when the subway- arc CON-
| nleted since we provide free space for tho CITY
| rcquircm uts"